All the good reasons Halton is reducing its garbage limit

A maximum of 6 garbage bags/cans are now collected every other week in Halton: 3 untagged, 3 tagged.

As of April 1, 2013, Halton Region has reduced its garbage bag limit and introduced garbage tags. Information on the program details and garbage tags can be found at www.halton.ca/garbagetags.

You may be wondering why Halton Region is reducing its garbage bag limit. There are many good reasons, including the fact that 85% of households are already below that limit because of all the great reducing and recycling that they do. Starting in April, Halton is also adding more acceptable items to the Blue Box program. We know that once Halton residents start putting this additional material in their Blue Box, there is going to be even less garbage.

Halton Region has set a waste diversion goal of 65% by 2016. By reducing the amount of material that is put in the garbage, we can extend the lifespan of Halton’s landfill. Opened in 1992 after a long and costly search, the landfill was originally forecast to close last year in 2012. But due to the waste diversion efforts of Halton residents, it is now forecast to remain operating until 2040 and with these new programs, 2044. The Halton landfill is a valuable resource that we want to conserve as long as possible. How long a landfill remains open depends on how slowly or quickly a community is producing garbage that needs burying.

An aerial photo of the Halton Waste Management Site

Halton’s landfill not only incorporated state of the art engineering principles, but also the unique characteristics of the site to protect the water and soil around the landfill. The landfill won’t last forever, but we want to put off the need to construct another landfill as long as possible. The Environmental Assessment process to approve the landfill lasted 10 years at a cost of $8 million. The cost of a new landfill site will be $700 to 900 million. It is estimated that by extending the landfill life an additional fours years, Halton taxpayers will realize a long-term savings of $15 million.

The Halton Waste Management Site is a valuable resource that we need to use sustainably so that it will continue to provide safe, efficient and reliable garbage disposal services to Halton residents for years to come. What kind of legacy do we want to leave for future Halton residents?